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"The Ripple Effect" by Alex Prud'homme Book Review

Thinking beyond the tap requires a wide scope and deep understanding of our current use of water, our past use, and the values which surround it. This book was a gift, and to be honest I didn't think there would be information I didn't already know on some level. But Prud'homme relates what I see in my daily work to statistics, trends , and data in an easy to understand way.

We are a species made of 90% water, yet we don't think about the connection we have to all water. Everything we put in our bodies affects everything else that depends on water; which is EVERYTHING. Are you grasping yet how big this concept is??

For Example, in the 1950's, America used about 150 Billion gallons of water per day. In 2005, we used 410 Billion gallons per day. So we put on efficient showerheads and move on- right? No, almost all (90%) of that water use is from commercial, industrial, and agricultural practices.

Yes, there is something fundamentally wrong with the people in Arizona who believe it is their right to have a green lawn year-round. But they are a small part of the problem. 

Vegetarian diets require about half of the water of a meat-eater's diet. Developing nations, in an attempt to be more like post-industrial nations, are switching to more meat in their diets. They are also where a majority of the additional 2 billion people adding to the population by 2025 will come from. They are also in some of the most water-scarce areas and nations on the planet. 

Connections like this are throughout the book, as well as first person interviews and historical data. I'm just finishing this story up and highly recommend you educate yourself!

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